Korrasami - Office Hours
by MattHunX
Summary: Sequel to "What Matters." The next day. Asami's first real day back at work. Lunch-party and paperwork.


**Korrasami – Office Hours**

**Author's Note:** Sequel to "What Matters." The next day.

The morning sun's light sparkled on drops of dew still hanging from leaves and blades of grass, as groups of air acolytes walked slowly towards the dining hall, conversing and tending to their chores, before breakfast. White Lotus sentries patrolled the island and its temple, protecting its inhabitants and even though they were as bored as ever, none of them was actually hoping their day would get any more exciting than that. It would have only meant trouble for them and possibly for the city, as well. The trend seemed to have been that those who dared to attack the island, Master Tenzin, his family and the Avatar, were no ordinary criminals, but the kind whose actions and ambitions would threaten the entire world. Even after all they have been through, all they have witnessed, no one ruled out the possibility they would see more conflict, as much as they wanted to. Even the Avatar could only hope she would never have to face the kind of evil she had to vanquish thus far and that her friends and loved ones would never have to sacrifice more than they already did. They all knew such hope was naive and idealistic, yet, they all had it. Such thoughts of a peaceful and potentially boring future were pushed into the back of Korra's mind as she launched Naga's ball for her, again, as both of them had their morning exercise. While her guide and best friend went to fetch, Korra stretched, did her pushups and dangled herself by the legs from a branch to work her abdominals, in between throwing the ball for her.

"Ha-ugh! Ha-ugh! Ha-ugh! Ha-ugh! Haaah…" Korra let out a longer sigh, as she hung, seeing her polar bear dog run towards her with the huge ball between her sharp canine teeth, and she could swore Naga's mouth practically curved into an actual smile, but it was hard to tell, since she was upside down. She extended both arms to her, as she made it back. "Good girl! Let me try throwing it, again, like this. That last one wasn't too good, huh?" she said to her and got an excited bark that could have been a confirmation that her previous attempt at throwing the ball was not, in fact, good. Or that Naga was just simply excited to run after it, either way. "Stand back, girl!" Korra told her and Naga ran back a small distance to give her owner space. "Ready!?"

Light footsteps could be heard on the wooden floor of the women's dormitory and a door slide open to a room, where the slender, yet, toned figure of Asami Sato appeared, as she walked over to the window, wrapped in a towel, to catch as her love pushed the big ball away with the help of her airbending and Naga took off after it. Korra continued her routine, curling her trunk up, without swaying, while exhaling sharply, lightly touching her hands, crossed in front of her, to her knees, then she inhaled as she lowered her body back to the starting position. Asami watched the muscles on her body tighten and her pupil's narrowed from the sight of it and from the sun, as Korra's sweaty body gleamed in its light. Korra was upside down, again, as she turned her head to look up at their window at Asami, catching her gaze, and giving her a wink with a grin.

"Darn you...I just got out of the shower…" Asami muttered to herself, feeling like she will need to go back in, after what she had…witnessed.

"Huh!? You say something!?" Korra yelled to her.

"Just thinking out loud!" Asami answered her.

"Oh, yeah!?" Korra asked, as she did another pull-up. "About what!?"

"About cute little squirrels, in trees!" Asami told her.

"Yeah!? These cute little squirrels have abs like _these_!?" Korra asked, smugly, pulling her shirt up more. The fact that she was working out with her shirt already pulled up, made Asami realize she could have been doing it on purpose, from the beginning, counting on her to watch.

"Oh, you…" she murmured. Then, walked away from the window. A few seconds later, a burst of air came through the window, as Korra airbent herself up and just came down from the window seal to blink in momentary confusion at the absence of her girlfriend, only to barely look to the side in time as she felt naked arms wrap around her.

"Woah! Hey! I'm all sweaty! You just had a shower." she told Asami, sheepishly.

"I'll take another." Asami whispered to her, suggestively and Korra's already flushed cheeks, reddened even further.

A few long minutes and a couple of shocked female occupants later, the pair emerged, got dressed and headed over to the dining hall, taking note of the lack of people outside, that meant most were already in there. Looking over to the pond, they spotted Tonraq as he was bending a blob of water, holding it still in the air for Naga to practically bite into it. The latter did not even appear to be confused by the floating liquid and was happily munching on it.

"Aww…" Asami laughed lightly. "That's so cute!" she exclaimed.

"I do that with her, sometimes." Korra said. "Dad!" she shouted to her father.

"Korra! Asami!" He greeted them. Letting the water fall back into the pond, slowly and not too quickly, so it would not upset Naga, who made a splash and started to play around in the pond. Tonraq hugged his daughter and the woman that had become like a daughter to him, close.

"We didn't even see you at breakfast _or_ lunch, yesterday. And we had go to Asami's old office, downtown, in the afternoon. And we got in late, last night." Korra noted why they completely missed each other, the day before.

"I know. Tenzin told me, so I wasn't worried." he told them. Reluctant to say why they had not seem him in the morning or at lunch.

"But, where were you?" Korra asked, with some worry.

"I…slept it. I had a little headache, so I thought I'd stay in bed." he explained, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"Aww…dad!" Korra smiled at him funnily, shaking her head. Not disapprovingly, but knowing full well what he meant. That he was hung over from the small party they threw the day before yesterday, when they got back from their date.

"I didn't want anyone to see me like that. It wasn't…that bad. But, still…" he admitted, sheepishly.

"Did something happen?" Asami asked worriedly.

"Not really. The last thing I remember was being dragged away by Su and Kya to dance." he recalled.

"With them?" Korra asked with smirk.

"No…" he started uneasily. "With Chief Beifong." he blurted out and Korra blinked a few times before she burst, while Asami covered her mouth, but her eyes were laughing. Tonraq knew he will never hear the end of it, especially if his wife hears about it. She will not be the least bit angry, but she will never let him live it down. She will find ways to tease him and so will Korra.

"Alright." He let them laugh it up. "Let's go get breakfast!" Tonraq exclaimed and his expression fell slightly as he added "With no meat."

"Yeah, you missed it." Korra commented, as they started towards the dining hall. "Asami and Kya made a whole dish, just for us." she added. Referring to the lunch Tonraq missed the day before.

"And for ourselves. But, we ran of our stock." Asami commented. "I think Tenzin and the others were patient enough to allow even that much meat on the island." Asami added, uneasily.

"Can't keep usfrom our _meat_ for long!" Korra exclaimed, gritting her teeth for effect, but stopped as she heard someone call her name. They all looked towards the guard's hut, where a group of White Lotus sentries were listening to the radio and reading papers and all sorts of magazines they had, which they picked up on a daily or weekly basis in packages from the docks and brought to the island.

"Avatar Korra! Got a few more magazines for you in the hut!" a sentry shouted, as he and another guard approached, on their patrol, and was pointing behind him with his thumb. "We're already finished 'em! More of that tech stuff you asked about!" he told her.

"Uh…thanks! I'll uh…run by for 'em, after breakfast!" she waved and the guard nodded, then went on. Korra looked a little embarrassed, as Asami was giving her an amused look.

"Oh! So the guards are your _suppliers_, huh?" she asked with laughter in her voice. Korra groaned and Asami's smile broadened at her for being so secretive about it all. "You could just ask me you know." she told korra.

"I don't want you to have to _explain everything_ to me, all the time. I wanna know at least some of this stuff." Korra said, uncomfortably.

"Heh. You're being silly." Asami told her, as she put an arm around Korra's waist to pull her closer.

"I know…" Korra sighed and Tonraq smiled at their behavior, as they continued to walk along the pond that stretched all the way to the dining hall, while Naga kept jumping around in the water. Korra could tell she wanted to cool off and thought she would help her.

"Here you go, girl!" She stopped in her tracks, did a few moves that made part of the water instantly freeze over, creating an icy patch that Naga occupied immediately, spreading herself out on it.

"Pretty hot today, huh?" Kya greeted them from under the roofed passage way, as she was leaning on the wooden railing with her elbows. "Oh, nice top!" she commented as her eyes fell on Asami, who was only wearing a burgundy, high-necked, sleeveless top.

"Thanks! Korra told me I should lose my jacket and blazer more often." Asami smiled at her.

"Hey, if the weather's good for it! We wear our boots and pelts, all the time." she commented. "I guess we're suckers for tradition." she added, looking at Tonraq. Even though the insides of the buildings were properly heated in the South Pole and they could shed their coats inside, they all seemed to be quite attached to wearing the same boots and pelts, everywhere.

"Tch…Tell me about it! I bet half the tribe'll give me the stink for cutting my hair." Korra folded her arms. "And I've always felt kinda bad about all the fur." Korra tugged on the furry pelt around her waist. "I guess some traditions you can't really break with. Like, hunting for food and using the fur." she commented, looking at her father.

"Well, not all nations have the luxury of _fertile_ lands and _agriculture_." Asami observed, as they joined Kya.

"Or trade." Tonraq added. "That got better." he added. And Asami recalled Korra mentioning their improved trade-relations with the Northern Tribe, in particular. "I guess there is something to airbenders and their…_vegetarianism_." he said the word with some difficulty.

"Don't let Tenzin hear you, or he'll think he might have a convert." Kya told him.

"It's not a _religion_!" They heard a familiar voice and looked to see the man himself approaching, coming from his study, from across the dining hall, the wooden, roofed walkway reaching from the entrance of one to the other.

"You only make it sound like one, sometimes." Kya teased him, folding her arms with a smile and Tenzin sighed.

"Is everyone here?" he asked.

"The kids were playing with Bumi. Probably tired him out by now." Kya answered with a chuckle.

"Good. Pema must be already in the dining hall or in the kitchen." Tenzin speculated.

"I'll go and help her." Asami told them.

"You missed the preparations, again." Kya told Asami with a teasing smile. Knowing exactly why.

"Sorry! I slept in." She gave half a shrug, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, we know. Don't worry! No one's complaining. Especially not Korra, I bet." Kya had a broad smile. Korra folded her arms and cleared her throat. "What? I said I wouldn't _spy_ on you two. I never said I wouldn't comment." she added. Somehow all of them felt they should look at Tonraq and so they did, who only had a mildly awkward expression that he was trying to keep from growing into any other one and simply moved his eyes to look between them all. This time, it was Asami who cleared her throat and walked off towards the kitchen, with a still smirking Kya in tow.

"So…you have anything planned for today?" Tenzin asked Korra.

"Well, we're going to Asami's new office, later. She'll get started on your new suits and she has other things to sort out. I'll just tag along to make sure nothing happens. Don't have any official Avatar business to do, yet." she explained, while close by, a similar conversation took place.

"You two got anything _special_ planned for today?" Kya asked Asami, as they made their way to the kitchen.

"Nothing special about it." Asami looked pointedly at her, knowing what kind of activity she was referring to. Though there was nothing special about _certain_ acts, what she had with Korra was certainly special. _Korra_ was special. "I'll have to settle back into work. I'll show Korra around my new office. I know it's not really her place, but…she wouldn't leave me for a second." she added with a light laugh, her eyes and mind clearly not that far away, but on someone near, and Kya could see it in them that the young woman was head over heels for her.

"Finally!" came a relieved sigh from Pema, as they walked into the kitchen. "I was starting to think you two will be busy, again."

"Sorry, Pema!" Asami told her, sheepishly. "I'll have to get used to getting out of bed in time, again."

"We can all just blame it on Korra…for keeping you in there." Kya suggested, putting an arm around Asami, who gave her a look.

"Kya!" Pema shook her head at her fascination with the pair, smiling.

Breakfast went without any mischief from the usual troublemakers, Meelo and Bumi. Both of who have already tired themselves out, much to the relief of others.

"Korra, when did you two return, last night? You didn't make it to dinner. Did something happen?" Pema asked, genuinely worried, and not in any way teasing the two. Korra was about to answer her when Jinora cut her off.

"We saw them get in just before ten." she said, with a little smugness in her voice, coupled with amusement. Korra blinked at her.

"Who's we?" she asked, smirking. She was holding a piece of food with her sticks, leaning in with her elbow on her knee.

"Uh…" Came a nervous sound from Kai, who was sitting next to Jinora, as the latter glanced at him.

"Jinora, you should have been in bed by then. Both of you!" Pema scolded and the two kids did not exactly have a guilty look about them. "Maybe we gave you your own room a little too early." she mused out loud.

"But, she's a _master_, Pema." Asami said, mockingly.

"Yeah, it would be totally embarrassing if she still slept with you guys." Korra joined in. "She's just growing up." she added and Jinora was glaring at her, while blushing and remained silent until the end of their breakfast.

The dining hall slowly emptied and everyone went about their daily tasks and routines. Tenzin, Pema and Ikki played with Rohan, while Meelo and Bumi blinked sleepily at them from the foot of a tree, nursing their full bellies. Kya sat with them, after she was done with the dishes. Jinora went to practice her bending with Kai. Korra helped Asami finish with the dishes and the pair joined Tonraq down at the docks with Naga, as the ferry was approaching the island, on schedule. Asami carried her blazer, draped over her other arm, as she held Korra's hand.

"So, you're planning on smuggling in some more meat, then?" Korra asked her father with a grin.

"No. Wouldn't want to go behind Tenzin's back. We'll just find some at a vendor somewhere." Tonraq said, scratching Naga behind the ear. "And Su invited us over to the Four Elements for lunch. Tenzin and the others will join us, too." he explained.

"At least, you won't be bored." Korra said. "I don't know what you do here all day, dad. You must be going crazy."

"Well, we're going back home in a few days." Tonraq shrugged. "Your mom's keeping things together, but they'll be plenty of tribal matters to attend to." he said with a bit foreboding.

"Can't wait to see mom…" Korra exclaimed, looking at Asami, who smiled back.

They boarded the ferry and it slowly made its way to the mainland. Their eyes immediately looked up at the beam of light, down to the ruined skyline, skimming over the badly damaged buildings in the back and coming down to see the morning traffic from afar. Most had already gone to work and there were not many cars or pedestrians on the streets, except for a small group of amateur or perhaps just eager photographers, spread out, thinking they were inconspicuous, excited to focus their lenses on the couple, again. The ferry had not even docked when their cameras started to flash.

"Take care of dad for me, okay, girl!" Korra told Naga, as she was facing her and scratching her head from both sides, receiving a reassuring growl. "Tell Su we'll try to make it if we can!" she added and Tonraq nodded, before turning to Asami.

"Keep Korra out of trouble!" he told her with a smile and Korra folded her arms.

"I will!" Asami promised with a warm smile and Tonraq turned to leave with Naga, heading towards the nearest market or food-stand.

"You're gonna _give_ me all the trouble I need." Korra muttered to Asami, who only smiled at her, tugging on her arm and they walked over to her car and got in. Korra checked the glove compartment and Asami put her blazer on the backseat. They started off towards Kyoshi Bridge, sticking to the harbor area and went passed the arena.

"I don't think I've ever been in those parts of the city." Korra commented, looking across Yue Bay, towards the districts that were further south from the Central City Station.

"It's mostly an industrial area. Factories, warehouses, workshops…" Asami described.

"Raiko plans on building it all up some more." Korra stated. Recalling their meeting.

"The city will expand in every direction." Asami noted, as they started to cross the bridge.

"Maybe we should leave your car over at those docks, there." Korra said, nodding towards the stone piers that were nearest to the island. "They're even closer to the island than the ferry. I can get us there and back. It'll be faster." she suggested. Asami gave a light laugh at the thought.

"Start every morning by flying across the bay?" Asami mused. "I'll think about it." she said, genuinely considering cutting down transit time and having fun with her love at the same time.

"We'll get a few extra minutes." Korra reasoned, grinning. Asami glanced at her with a knowing smile, reading her mind on how they both planned on using those extra minutes, as they crossed the bridge. And even if they do not always use the time they spare in such a way, it will still be to their advantage, they both thought.

They cut through the familiar streets and over the river flowing into the bay, to go further south into a district Korra have not been before. She kept turning her head around, taking in the part of the city that was new to her, as they slowly made the transition from residential to industrial zones. Asami slowed the car as they neared the gates to a facility that was slightly larger than all others Korra have seen so far on the way and it reminded her of the buildings they investigated a few years back when they were searching for Equalist connections. The guard in the hut nodded to Asami, recognizing her and opened the gate to let them through and they parked close to the main office that was surrounded by smaller structures.

"So…you're not gonna build another tower for yourself, Miss Sato?" Korra asked, teasingly.

"I might. Not as tall as the old one, maybe. Don't want to make it an easy target. I still wonder sometimes why Kuvira didn't just fire at the tower, even after she knew we were there." she mused.

"Who knows…she definitely wasn't thinking about _not_ hurting us." Korra said, bitterly, then looked at Asami and put her hand on hers. "Sorry…this is why I didn't want you to…get back to all of this so soon." Korra told her.

"What do you mean?" Asami asked.

"I just…thought that everything…all these mechs and machines and stuff would…" she trailed off.

"Remind me of dad?" Asami finished saying what Korra did not want to and felt her squeeze her hand. "I told you, I won't let myself fall apart at his memory every time I look at the work I've done, even if it was his legacy. And I know you won't let me." she told Korra with a reassuring smile, as they got out of the car and walked inside, the wide double-doors of the entrance pulling shut behind them.

Standing in the main lobby, they looked around, taking note of all the people in suits running up and down, in and out of offices, criss-crossing between them with stacks of papers and mugs. Receptionists taking multiple calls at the main desk while yelling to some of their colleagues who were hurrying along. All the noise and commotion of the ground-floor stopped, as people froze in their steps and all eyes were glued to the pair. Their boss. The head of the industry. Standing there _with_ the Avatar. The most powerful being in the world, aside from their boss. Who was _their boss'_ partner. Girlfriend. Lover. The two of them holding hands and standing a few steps away from all of them. Korra and Asami gave each other an uneasy side-glance, as the people looked like they dared not to even move, blink or breathe. They walked over to the receptionist who sat in her seat, only her eyes moving, as she followed them. Her boss stood over her, expressionless, with the Avatar, holding hands. Her eyes flicking to their entwined fingers, repeatedly and she was starting to sweet bullets. Korra turned her head left and right to look behind them to see no one had even moved. She sighed and looked at Asami, before her face briefly twisted into a mischievous smile and she raised her palm to produce a ball of flame.

"Boo!" she yelled and the entire lobby emptied in a second, as everyone scattered and disappeared behind doors, some of them ducking into offices they did not even have any business in.

"Korra!" Asami exclaimed, hand on her hip, but unable to hide her amused smile.

"It worked." Korra shrugged with her free hand and the pair looked at the receptionist in front of them, and over at the others to see them shaking in their seats, their eyes wide, almost on the verge of tears. And they both smiled at them uncomfortably, seeing the damage they did, to their psyche if nothing else.

"Good morning!" Asami greeted them, uneasily.

"G-Good M-Morning, Miss S-Sato!" The receptionist replied, and slowly turned to Korra, but could only stare at her. She turned back to Asami and looked as if she was pleading her with her eyes to not make the Avatar do anything to them.

"I'd like to know if my office is ready for use?" Asami asked.

"Y-Yes. E-Everything is ready for you on the top floor." She was told.

"Thank you!" Asami said and she tugged on Korra's arm, leading her towards the elevator on the right.

"I can already see the headlines." Korra muttered, as they got into the elevator.

"The Avatar Terrorizes a Whole Office!" Asami said, as she thought of one.

"The Head of Future Industries Can't Keep Lapdog on Leash!" Korra added. "How is She Expected to Run the Industry?" she finished in a mock panicked voice.

"That last one could actually be part ofa headline, tomorrow." Asami commented.

"We haven't really looked at any newspapers." Korra said, as it occurred to both of them that despite the storm their return and relationship caused in the media, they have not actually seen just what exactly they have written about them, since.

"Maybe my secretary left one in my office. I was hoping the people, here, had time to…get used to things. Apparently not." Asami commented, as the elevator came to a halt and they stepped out into wide hallway that had a door on either side, with a warning about unauthorized access. Straight ahead of them was a carpeted waiting area, furnished with benches, chairs, plants and lit by lamps from all sides and sunlight was coming in through the glass roof. To the side was the secretary's desk, across from all of it.

"Nope. They didn't." Korra shook her head. "I wonder how long they would've stood still, if I hadn't scared them out of it." she mused.

"Now, we'll never know." Asami said with laughter in her voice, as her secretary looked up from her desk, in surprise, being able to hear them coming, but still was not expecting her boss to come back to work so soon, after her vacation…with the Avatar. _With_ her. Actually with her. Like partners. Not business partners. But _partners_ partners. The pair looked her way, at the middle-aged woman, with slightly curled, light-brown hair, kept in a bun, as she pushed her glasses back up. Asami smiled at her apparent nervousness, as the woman was usually professional, though, still relaxed with her, as Asami herself was with all people under her employment.

"Good morning!" Asami greeted her.

"Hey!" Korra waved.

"Good morning, Asami! Avatar Korra! I wasn't expecting you to return so soon!" she told her.

"That makes…three of us." Asami replied, glancing at Korra, who flashed a lopsided smile to her, not too happy with their fast return to their duties, either.

"Well, I'm just glad to see you smile, again. After all that's happened. For the past few weeks before the attack, you were your old self, again. After years." The secretary said, but covered her mouth, as she quickly realized she might have revealed something she should not have in front of the Avatar. However, the latter already knew, or at least had an idea what those three years were like for Asami. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean..." she started.

"It's alright. We…talked about it." Asami told her, sharing a look with Korra and the secretary was relieved she did not cause any awkwardness to surface between them. She heard Asami ask a question, but it took her a second to look at her and only then did her mind catch up to what she said.

"Yes! Of course! I have it right here." she answered her and pulled out a drawer, then took out a key that was for Asami's office and handed it to her.

"Thank you!" Asami said.

"All the essential have been shipped over to the facilities, including prototypes, parts and instruments. The documents were largely untouched, in your absence and were shipped with the rest, yesterday evening. Though, I must say it was risky to leave them in the tower for so long. Even if the building was in no imminent danger and the structural integrity was sound. Everything is still unpacked, as per your instructions." came the explanation and Asami nodded in acknowledgment. She walked over to the large doors, inserted and twisted the key, then pushed it open. Korra's mouth slowly dropped lower the further they went inside, as she realized the entire upper floor of the building was Asami's office and workshop. The office area was already carpeted and furnished with long red curtains framing large, tall and wide windows, similarly to her old office. Shelves lined the wall next to the door on either side, from where they entered. Some of them meant for books. Others to put machine parts and technology on display. A large desk stood in the middle, on an elevated floor. Boxes were stacked on each other, to the side, waiting for them to start unpacking them. The sunlight poured in through the glass ceiling and through darkened glass walls that partitioned the upper floor into workshops, each suited for different project. Asami let go of Korra's hand with a smile, as she watched her explore the place. She walked over to the side to open a door and from there she could see another door at the end of the next room. She pieced together the layout, and that the doors she saw, with the warning signs, in the waiting area, were all direct shortcuts to the workshops. The elevator and the secretary's room were in the middle and the workshops covered the entire top floor around them. The whole of it was one giant workspace. The outer walls appeared to be reinforced and the large windows were barred with wires and coils connecting them. She wondered what it all was when she saw several pieces of paper and stray leaves being blown by the wind, all to get zapped, set on fire and incinerated as they hit an invisible, electrified barrier. She had not closed her mouth since she walked in and she gave a slightly mortified look to Asami.

"This place is built like a fortress!" she exclaimed.

"Wasn't like that a few weeks ago." Asami commented. "When relocating seemed inevitable, it was reinforced with some state of the art security." she explained.

"Bolin told me about that thing." Korra said, pointing to the electric fence. "When you guys tried to get into the airfield with General Iroh."

"Yes. I've made some improvements to it, since." Asami answered, her tone and expression becoming somewhat dark and Korra looked genuinely frightened. Not of her. From what she was capable of building. Asami saw her look and moved to sooth her.

"Don't worry! It's meant to scare those who'd want to hurt me. _Us_. Don't be afraid, Korra! Please!" She rubbed her thumb over her hand.

"Well, it's scary." Korra admitted. "I'm just glad I saw it, before I tried sneaking in one day to surprise you at work." she tried to joke, but Asami could still see she was shaken, in her eyes.

"I planned on showing it all to you, before we touched anything." she said, referring to the boxes. "Just so you would know I'm safe, here. Even if you'll have somewhere else to be…I'll be safe." she whispered to her and Korra finally relaxed, as she meet Asami's fierce, determined, certain and reassuring gaze. It was all she needed to see.

"Okay." she whispered. Finally letting go some of the worry she had.

"So…wanna help me unpack everything?" Asami asked, uneasily. Considering all the stuff that needed to be sorted out. Korra nodded to her, with a smile.

They have spent nearly two hours filling the shelves with books, the displays with different kinds of gears and pieces of technology and filing away written documentations, all in order.

"Whew! I think I'll stick to magazines." Korra commented as she placed the last book in its proper place, on the top of a shelf and dropped down from the ladder.

"Well, this would've have taken me all day." Asami said, appreciatively as she plopped down on the sofa. Korra followed her and lied down, resting her head in Asami's lap, who stroked her hair.

"I should've expected all the work to pile up. And I guess I did, but…part of me just wanted to forget all about it and just…" she trailed off and Korra slowly pulled herself back up, knowing where she was going. She faced her. Then, she kissed her softly and they allowed themselves to be lost in each other, again, for a couple of minutes before they pulled away. Asami glanced over at her desk at the paperwork. Some of it, she needed to deal with before the day was over. Korra caught her eyes and smiled at her.

"Go ahead, get some of that outta the way. I'll just…take a nap or…read a paper!" she said, raising her voice as she remembered and sat up. She stood and walked over to the door, flashing a reassuring smile to Asami, telling her she should get on with her work without any worries and that she could keep herself occupied. Until lunch, at least. Asami sat behind her desk and started looking through all the documents relevant to the projects that were dedicated to the expansion of the city. Her immediate task. Aside from developing and testing technology and everything else she did. She also had to pen a few letters, requests, memos, even a few essays about new inventions to describe their workings and potential uses, amongst other things. She looked up when her door opened and saw Korra come back in with a grin, waving some magazines and several newspapers she was given by the secretary. She dropped them on the coffee table between the sofa and the chairs and made herself comfortable. They only had a little more than two hours until lunch and they could easily keep themselves busy afterwards, as well. Asami looked up from her work now and again, when Korra made certain noises at what she was reading. She excused herself to the restroom, once, and Asami gave her a strange smile at her adorableness, when she did not really want to leave her office, telling her that a few minutes was too long. Even though Asami reassured her of her safety and told her it would be no different than when she stepped out to get all the reading material.

"Hhh…okay." Korra accepted with a sigh and opened the door to slowly step out. Her eyes darting all over the place and back to an amused Asami, for any danger that might spring from thin air as soon as she would close the door behind her. She finally did. And the secretary followed her with a worried gaze as the Avatar nearly sprinted through the hallway to the restroom. Then, a few minutes later, came back with the same hurry and burst through the door, startling her boss and she heard Asami gasp the Avatar's name, whom she heard apologize, before she closed the door.

"Korra, you seriously need to stop worrying so much!" Asami told her with all the seriousness she could muster. Which was not much, as she could not help but smile at her concern for her.

"Can't help it!" Korra blurted out with a shrug and flopped back down, stretching her body across the sofa and resumed her reading, while Asami just shook her head at her. After what felt like an hour, Korra heard a lot of papers rustling and looked over to Asami to see her organize some of her work into different stacks, before she pushed her chair back and stood.

"That should do it, for now." she announced. "I'll finish the rest after lunch." she added, looking at her watch and Korra glanced at the clock above the door, which showed it was less than fifteen minutes until noon. "Let's go!" she exclaimed and Korra hopped to her feet, taking her hand, as they left her office. Asami locked the door and added the key to her set of keys.

"We should be back in an hour or two." she told her secretary. "If there's something urgent, call Republic City Four Elements!" The secretary wrote it down and immediately searched the phonebook for their number, as the pair went down with the elevator.

"Never been there, either. Or any hotel." Korra commented, as they descended.

"We'll always have Misty Palms!" Asami joked. Recalling their short stay in the desert, tracking Aiwei.

"You think we're still wanted?" Korra wondered.

"Not sure. We'll see when we have business in the Earth Kingdom. I wouldn't be surprised if some places still had our posters out." Asami commented.

"I look awful in every picture they take of me." Korra groaned, as they exited to the lobby.

"I don't know. I thought it captured your _essence_ very well." Asami teased.

"What!? I had my nose all wrinkled up! I looked like I was smelling something bad!" Korra told her, in disbelief that Asami considered it a good image, as she thought of her wanted poster and how she was practically sneering at the camera. Looking at it with suspicion, like it was a living creature that was up to something, before it flashed to capture whatever essence Asami meant.

"I think it reflected your personality, a little. Your roughness, for one." Asami explained and Korra gave her an incredulous look, as they went passed reception and through the empty lobby that would soon be filled with office-workers, who would crowd the buffet to get lunch.

"You better strap yourself in! I'll have to drive fast." Asami cautioned Korra, as they approached her car, hearing the office's main doors, behind them, being pulled shut by the mechanism. Korra gave her a quizzical look. "Rush-hour traffic around lunch time. Everyone who doesn't eat at work will go to a nearby place. The streets will be full, soon." she explained.

"Oh, right." Korra remembered, as she got in, securing her seatbelt around her, immediately. "Okay!" she exclaimed and Asami strapped herself in, as well, before giving ignition and she started revving the engine for effect, as her smile grew. Korra looked at Asami carefully, as she glanced at her with a slightly wild look in her eyes and Korra held onto the doorframe more firmly. The guard at the gate could hear Asami's car, even from the distance they were and quickly opened the boom gate, raising it, so they would not tear it off in their hurry. The man could barely take note of the Avatar, holding up her hand in an attempt to wave weakly at him, as they blew past the booth. They were back in the downtown area in less than half the time it took for them to get to the office. Traffic was slowly getting heavier and they still had a few blocks to race through, before they arrived at the hotel. After almost running a red light and drifting to make the last turn, they were finally able to see the Four Elements hotel with its white bricks and cyan details. As they pulled over to the side of the road, they spotted a police car parked in front, which meant that Mako and Lin were there. People stopped to stare at them all the while they got out of the car, entered the lobby and spoke with the receptionist. They directed them to the floor on which the Beifong family occupied suites and they took the elevator up, exiting to a corridor from where they could already hear music playing from a record, coming from a type of ball room that could be reserved for small parties by the occupants. They took a step towards it, when they heard a door open and saw Suyin and her husband come out into the hallway with worried expressions. Suyin's, in particular, brightened when she saw the pair.

"You made it! Welcome!" she greeted them and they hugged and shook hands with Baatar Sr.

"Everything okay, Su?" Korra asked, glancing at the door for the room they came out of.

"Baatar is still recovering. Emotionally, anyway." she explained. "I'm afraid seeing Kuvira in prison only made it harder for him."

"You think I can talk to him?"

"I'd appreciate it." she told Korra.

"I'll be with you guys in a minute." Korra said, squeezing Asami's hand, who nodded to her and walked off with Suyin and her husband to join the party.

Korra quietly opened the door and stepped inside to see the broken man standing in front of the window, looking out at the bay. And at the same time, at nothing. His gaze was vacant and void of life. He only turned when a voice he rarely heard called out to him.

"Baatar?" He looked to see the Avatar standing in the doorway and she closed the door behind her. Korra's face showed empathy and sorrow.

"Korra?" He asked. Somewhat surprised at her visit. Granted, she was here for the small party at her mother's invite. Still, she was either in his room to try and plead with him to join them or she wanted to confront him about something else entirely and he was not sure what that could be.

"I wanted to talk to you. I won't try to get you to go out there, if you're not ready. But, there is something that I have to say. I wanted to apologize. For what I said. For threatening you like that. I had no right to use the person you love and tell you that I'd take you away from each other. It was low of me. I don't know what I would do if someone threatened me like that. I just felt like I should tell you. For whatever it's worth." Korra told him.

"You did what you had to do to save the city and the people you care about. Kuvira was ready to destroy it all. In the end, she was not the woman I dedicated myself to. All that power...changed her. I appreciate your words, Korra. And despite all she had done I...I'm glad it didn't end in...more tragedy. I'm glad I could look her in the eye and talk to her. It doesn't make things easier. But, part of me would like to believe that I haven't lost her completely. And that means a lot. Even if there is no hope of ever repairing what we had." He told Korra.

"How...is she?" Korra already demonstrated an extraordinary amount of compassion just by sparing Kuvira. Even after all that she had done. To her. To Asami. To Su and her family. To all of them. She was not looking forward to a visit to the woman in prison. She knew Asami would certainly have mixed feelings about it. Whether she went by herself or with her.

"Worse than me?" Baatar's answer was more of a question than anything. He was not entirely certain of just how conflicted Kuvira truly was. "Sometimes she could be harder to read than your cousins, we've met." Baatar added and Korra could see just the hint of a smile after the man had actually made a joke. She gave him a weak smile of her own, before she nodded to him and left, quietly closing the door behind her. She approached the small ball room and stopped in the wide open door, as she observed the scene in front of her.

The room had several tables joined and all set with white tablecloths, stacks of paper-napkins, cups with pitchers between different dishes and plates full of crab puffs, tofu, macaroons, kale and cabbage cookies, vegetable wraps, pies, tarts, dumpling, all kinds of fruit in bowls and sweet buns that were rapidly vanishing into Meelo's mouth, as he set upon them with Poki. The small buffet was on the left side of the room, while all the furniture was on the right and the music was coming from a record player in the far right corner. In middle of the room Jinora was dancing with Kai. Ikki was trying to drag Huan to dance, again. Bolin was busting out his best moves to a giggling Opal. Bumi was sitting in a chair, telling his stories to Rohan, who was listening intently in her mother's lap and Pema served as a sort of filter to what could be said to him, as much as he could understand from it all. Kya was quickly wearing the twins down in dancing, while Tenzin was idly listening with Suyin as Asami was talking to Baatar Sr., trading ideas by the looks of it.

Mako stood with Lin and Tonraq, closest to the door, talking about law enforcement in the Southern Water Tribe, by the sound of it. A fiendish grin flashed across Korra's face from a sudden idea. She put on a serious expression and walked up behind Lin, grabbed her arm and forcibly turned her around so she would face her. Before anyone knew what was happening, she grabbed the neck of Lin's armored uniform, and pulled her surprised face close to hers.

"Stay away from my dad!" Korra threatened her with a faked glare and aggressiveness.

The record did not stop, but all movement, including a few people's breathing, did. Everyone stared, frightened by Korra's sudden appearance and behavior. Asami less so than the others. Suspecting it was all just an act, given their talk with Tonraq. Lin genuinely thought the girl was angry with her and Tonraq was about to say something, when they all blinked in confusion, Lin the most, as Korra burst out laughing and they turned to see Asami covering her mouth to hide her laughter. Lin gritted her teeth and Korra wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her off her feet, to keep her from making any move against her, grinning smugly, as the Chief struggled to break free of her hold.

"Put...me...down!" Lin growled.

"So you can beat me up? I don't think so." Korra told her.

"Korra!" Tonraq shot her a disapproving look, but Korra was not backing down.

"Wait til mom hears about it!" Korra shot back, still not letting go of Lin.

"And who's going to tell her?" Tonraq asked, coolly, with his arms folded, raising a brow. Korra thought for a moment, before turning towards Asami and Tonraq followed her gaze. Asami looked at him innocently, before looking at Kya and smiling knowingly as the woman folded her arms. Tonraq gave her an uncertain look and Kya was already guilty as charged of future gossip, and was unashamed by it.

Tonraq knew there was really nothing he could do against any of them. In fact, he was certain it would only take one prying look from his wife to make him tell her everything, himself, even if there was nothing to tell, because nothing happened. So he had nothing to worry about, aside from weeks of teasing. Lin followed all their head-turning and twisted herself in Korra's grip to look at Kya. Seeing her face told her there was no chance she will hear the end of it anytime soon and she simply and uncharacteristically went limp, giving up her struggle with a defeated sigh. Korra blinked at her apparent surrender and let out a chuckle at the poor Chief. She pulled Lin close, smooched her on her chin, much to everyone's amusement and put her down. Mako dared not to laugh, but Asami and Suyin did not have to worry about their job, pay-rise, promotion or being showered with extra paperwork and happily giggled at the scene. Korra went to hug Mako with one arm, her other one still around Lin, who let her yank her into it.

"Hey!" Korra said, smiling.

"Hey!" Mako returned it all and Korra looked past them and waved both arms to greet all the rest. Rohan was looking at all the grown-ups in complete confusion.

"So, how'd you two make it, here?" Korra asked.

"We're on our lunch-break." Mako shrugged. "Maybe we'll stick around for a bit, if the Chief's okay with it." he added, looking at Lin.

"An hour, tops." she groaned and Mako exchanged looks with Korra.

"I figured Wu would be here." Korra looked around.

"He's at a different party. Some promotional event by Varrick Global Industries at the Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall. He wasn't scared to go by himself, so…" Mako shrugged.

"How did it go with Baatar?" Suyin asked Korra.

"Good! He even made a joke!" she exclaimed and Suyin lit up. "He's gonna be okay." Korra commented.

"Thank you, Korra!" Suyin said with a grateful smile.

"It worked out." Korra shrugged.

The party continued with added fervor, as all members of the Beifong family seemed to be in a better mood after what Korra told them. The dancing barely stopped. When one pair stopped to rest or to grab a bite, the others carried on. Korra circled the buffet, giving Meelo a worried look as The Man was gorging himself to the point of passing out, again. The others talked amongst themselves, filling their plates with bits of food. At one point, Asami glanced from her discussion with Suyin and her husband to the buffet table, to see Korra had dragged a chair over and was sitting, with her legs spread boyishly, reigning over all the food, like an unorthodox queen, flicking bits for Pabu and Poki to fight over. Time flew as Korra and Asami went to catch up with Mako and Bolin on adventures Korra missed during her time away and what did not make it into their letters. They also reminisced about their old adventures and Opal learned about Bolin's crush on Korra, in their early days. She gave Korra a guarded look and Korra grinned at her territorial behavior over Bolin, who looked between them nervously.

All eventually bid farewell to Mako and Lin, who had to go back to work in the middle of it. The latter did not even try to protest when Korra went to hug her, again. Korra went over to ask Asami what she would like and she stacked her a plate of everything she felt like eating, then brought it to her and sat with her on a sofa while they listened with interest as Suyin and Baatar Sr. described in more detail how they built Zaofu. Korra could actually understand at least some of the technical stuff and was immensely pleased when she could stop Asami from having to explain some of it to her. When she had to explain, Korra picked up a kale cookie and let Asami bite into it as she took it from between her fingers, much to the delight of an ever-amused Suyin. They talked about a fair amount of business, as well. Both Asami and Suyin were eager to forge their formal alliance and develop their ideas for all areas of interest. It was nearly time for the pair to leave and return to work. All the dancers were resting on the chairs, exhausted. Picking at bits of food, pouring and drinking cup after cup. Asami checked her watch and Korra slung her arm around her shoulder to grab her wrist and looked at it herself, pressing her cheeks to Asami's with a bit of a worried pout.

"We'll have to go, soon." Asami told her.

"At least we had fun!" Korra exclaimed. "And you could talk some more business."

"Yeah. But, it also means more work." Asami told her with a weak and apologetic smile. The more ideas they came up with, the more work she would have to put in. "Paperwork, too." she added.

"I bet that's the annoying part. You'd rather be in one of your factories, putting things together than writing about it, right." Korra told her.

"No one likes paperwork." Asami commented with laughter in her voice. "And if I didn't have others working for me, I would be sitting at my desk, writing until retirement."

"And I'd still be right there with you, until we'd both get wrinkles." Korra told her with a goofy grin, as she put her leg on Asami's other side, straddling her and Asami smiled into their kiss. Completely forgetting where they were, again. Quickly parting, when the giggling around them reminded them. Korra pushed herself off from the sofa and the pair looked around them, blushing lightly. Korra sheepishly pulled Asami to her feet.

"Sorry, guys!" Korra exclaimed.

"We have to go, unfortunately." Asami added.

"It's been wonderful seeing you two! And thank you, again, Korra! For talking to Baatar. And it's been good talking to _you_, Asami! I'm looking forward to working with Future Industries!" Suyin hugged them both and they all said their goodbyes for the day.

"Will you two be back before dinner?" Pema asked, in a hopeful tone. Smiling knowingly at the pair.

"We will! Promise!" Korra held up her hand, as she swore, then gave a wave.

"Don't be strangers!" Bolin called after them.

They were standing in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, when Korra suddenly spoke up, in alarm.

"I need to wash my mouth!" she exclaimed and tugged on Asami's arm. "You think this place is fancy enough to have that paste-thing?" she asked.

"Uh...let's...go and find out!" Asami suggested and they went into the nearest restroom, where they found what they were looking for.

They got back to the elevator and started their descent to the ground floor.

"You think we could go slower this time?" Korra asked Asami, wearily, as she rubbed her full stomach.

" . I wasn't planning on racing back to work." she answered her with a light laugh.

Stepping out into the lobby, they were greeted by a few camera flashes and a few questions.

"Miss Sato! Will Future Industries be working with the city of Zaofu?"

"Yes. You can ask President Raiko for details." Asami deflected.

"Avatar Korra! How would you describe your relationship with the Metal Clan?"

"We're cool." Korra answered.

"How is your personal relationship with Suyin Beifong?"

Korra thought for a moment, before answering. "We're pretty close. She's like a dirty aunt." Asami covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. The Avatar's rather candid response was enough to silence all of the reporters, who merely stared after the pair as they left the hotel.

"That...was a little..." Asami started to say.

"Too honest?" Korra asked and they laughed as they could not wait to hear from Suyin after she read the quote in tomorrow's paper.

Rush-hour was over and traffic was low, again, as they rolled through the streets, skirting the crater, then sticking to the outer roads, near the harbor, until they reached Kyoshi Bridge. Korra wondered out loud to Asami, about what kind of diplomatic assignments she will be doing and when. Accompanying Asami on her business trips was a good way for her to travel more, see the world and establish relations. It was the easiest and most convenient way for them to remain by each other's side at all times. They agreed that if Asami had business in some part of the world, Korra would fill the role of diplomat and boost both their image. And if Korra needed to act as peace-keeper, Asami would offer her resources to reach an agreement and resolve the situation peacefully and in a way that it would be beneficial to all sides. Neither they, nor the public could safely predict just how strong an influence their combined power would have on the world. They could only look ahead and hope their labors would bear fruit. Seeing the kind of effect their mere presence in the media already had on Republic City, showed them they had nothing to fear. So they have discussed and were already back in the industrial zone, nearing Asami's office, which the latter considered turning into her permanent workplace, given the high security that she would strengthen even further. The gate opened and they entered the area, looking to the side, at some commotion on the yard in front of a factory.

A few employees, likely from the research and development department, were dressed in full protective gear, as a precaution, observing the rudimentary testing of some mecha suits. The pilots inside, having a heck of a time as they seemed to be repurposing at least some of the combat mechs for everyday tasks, such as lifting, welding, cutting and other construction work.

"About time those things were used for something besides war." Korra commented. The suits appeared to have been the ones that once belonged to Kuvira's army. "You wasted no time grabbing a few." she added.

"Souvenirs. Spoils of war. Call them what you will. I wanted the technology. They were confiscated and Future Industries acquired all of them for study." Asami explained. "So we could reverse engineer the improvements they've made to the suits." she added and one could go as far as to say there was a slight, not so carefully masked, bitterness behind her voice that Korra picked up on. "Wouldn't want any competition. And I might as well get something out of it." she added with some smugness, and Korra mentally sighed in relief that her dark tone disappeared just as fast as last time. Replaced by simple, genuine concern for future innovation. Yet, it did not stop Korra from picturing an army of those mechs between them and anyone who would want to hurt them. Asami made it very clear she was not taking any chances. That no security was too high to ensure their safety.

Asami was conscious of her tone and knew how she sounded at the beginning.

"Sorry." she whispered and squeezed Korra's hand. "I didn't mean to sound like I…was preparing for war." she said after they parked and sat in the car. "I guess I'm just...overwhelmed. I just want to be prepared for anything. I can't stop thinking about what could..." she trailed off as Korra put a hand behind her and gently massaged the back of her neck.

"It's okay. I wanna protect you, too. Both of us." she told her. "You don't have to worry so much. You told me we'll be fine, even if we can't be right there next to each other all the time." she reminded her.

"Yeah. I didn't think it would get to me on my first day back, though." Asami sighed.

"Don't let it! I won't." Korra reassured her firmly, cupping the side of her face.

"I know." Asami leaned into her touch with a smile.

They got out, entered the building, breezed through the lobby and reception, greeting everyone and being greeted by barely audible sounds, coming from quivering mouths, belonging to faces that were once again filled with a mix of fresh awe and terror in unhealthy doses. They quickly rode the elevator to the top floor and walked towards Asami's office. She gave a questioning look to her secretary, who shook her head, giving her a negative answer to her unspoken question about any messages. A few minutes later, they were back to what would become their routine. Asami was mired in paperwork and Korra passed the time reading magazines while lying on the couch.

After about an hour, Asami glanced up from her papers to the sound of light snoring and her face softened, as she smiled warmly at the sight of Korra, who had fallen asleep with a magazine on her slowly heaving chest. She continued for another hour, when she heard a quiet knock on her door and she knew it would be her secretary, poking her head in to announce she was done for today. The clock above the door struck four as it happened. And the woman blurted out a quick apology and goodbye, before guiltily shutting the door, as Korra was roused from her nap and went to pick up the magazine that fell from her chest to the floor, scratching her head. The sleepiness vanished from her eyes after a long stretch and she looked at Asami, who was giving her an amused smile, before turning back to her work and answered Korra's question before she even asked.

"I'm almost done. Just have a few more things." And Korra brightened. After several minutes she stood and slowly walked behind Asami and bent down to peer at all the stuff she was writing. "Just one more paragraph." Asami told her. Korra straightened and gently put her hands on her shoulders. "Almost…done." No sooner had she said it, when Korra gave a harder squeeze with both of her hands and Asami dropped her pen, as Korra began massaging her. Asami moaned in pleasure. Feeling the pain in her neck being rubbed out by Korra's firm hands.

"Mmmh…I guess I have to get used to office work, again." she commented.

"At least, I'll be here to give you a massage right after." Korra told her. "I bet if I'd ask your secretary, she'd tell me you did this a lot. Working late. Falling asleep at your desk?" Korra whispered to her. Reading her mind. Asami turned her head to look into her eyes with surprise, worry, sadness and alarm that she could see it and that she would bring up the dreaded topic of their missing years, again. But, Korra was not about to. She cupped her chin from behind, tilting her head back and traced her lips with her thumb. "Never again, you hear me!" Korra whispered and bent down to kiss her softly. Asami relaxed into the kiss. She put her hand on the back of Korra's head and deepened it.

After no more than half a minute of if, they briefly parted for air and Asami suddenly stood from her chair, her lips still only a breath away from Korra's, who had a familiar fire in her eyes. She grabbed Asami by the waist and literally threw her on the desk, then placed her hands on her inner-thighs and hastily spread her legs. They heard a tearing of fabric and both glanced at the side of Asami's skirt that had a rather noticeable rip in it. Korra blushed from embarrassment and sucked in air through gritted teeth, making a sound, looking at Asami apologetically, but instead of finding even the slightest bit of anger or even just disapproval in her eyes, her expression showed she could not have cared any less about the torn skirt. Korra stared in shock, as Asami gripped her skirt along the tearing and with some effort, ripped it even further, then tore it off completely, letting it spread out under her like a tablecloth. As Korra gaped at her, trying to process both the image of Asami in her leggings and what she had just done, the latter reached behind her head, and pulled her surprised face close to her own. She pressed her lips over Korra's, before the latter could even pick her jaw up from the floor, let alone say anything. The next hour and a half, not that any of them could rightly tell time, was all a blur. Neither of them noticed when the skies turned orange, as the sun was setting. Neither of them knew how and when the rest of their cloths ended up strewn about the office. Or how they ended up lying on the sofa, both still slightly panting. Korra tucking a strand of stray hair behind Asami's ear that stuck to her sweaty forehead, caressing her back, as the woman rested her head under her chin, breathing her in. Korra glanced at the clock through her barely open eyelids and squinted as she tried to make out the time through the haze that seemed to linger in their minds. It was a quarter to six and dinner was not for another hour. They could actually keep their promise and make it on time, for once, Korra thought. None of them made a sound as they remained like that until the hour. A long sigh from Asami that Korra felt on her exposed neck broke the silence.

"Feeling better?" Korra whispered.

"Never better." Asami purred into her neck and Korra felt her warm breath escape her lips to send shivers down her back as it touched her skin. "Is it late?" Asami asked, weakly. Not opening her eyes.

"Nah…it's only six. We're on time. We can even make it to dinner, for once." Korra commented and Asami moaned a laugh. "Uh…do you have a shower, here?" Korra asked.

"I do." Asami answered and she perked up. "Come on! I'll show you!" Asami said, suggestively. All the fatigue completely gone, again. She led Korra by the hand as they padded through the office, stark naked, to a door to their left that opened to a small bathroom with a walk-in shower tub, large enough for two people to comfortably stretch and soak themselves. The hot-water started running and it was not the only thing that slowly filled the small room with steam and a few long minutes later, a blast of air opened the door to let it all out, but the pair was not quite done with their shower, yet. They eventually finished and Korra carried Asami out, both of them wrapped in towels, as they sat back down on the sofa. They glanced at the clock and discovered with alarm that it was less than half an hour until dinner.

"Darn!" they both said in unison.

"Quick!" Korra exclaimed and began drying Asami off, tugging her towel loose, who started laughing at her eagerness to help her dry herself faster.

"Korra! Tch. Heh, heh! Woah-…!" She gasped, as Korra was being very thorough.

"There!" Korra said in satisfaction and began drying herself off.

"I'll just…get my hair-drier." Asami commented and walked back into the bathroom and called for Korra to come and let her dry her hair for her when she was finished. In a few minutes they managed to dry off and almost dress. They stood around in awkward silence as Asami stood there in her stockings without her skirt. "Um…"

"You have a band or rope…or pin or something?" Korra wondered what they could do to secure her skirt to her waist.

"I…don't." Asami admitted. Surprising herself, as well, that despite all the technology she was surrounded by, she did not seem to have what others might call the essentials kept around.

"Uh…the offices should be empty by now, right?" Korra asked.

"Riiight." Asami confirmed, uneasily. And knew where Korra was going in.

A minute later the two of them were sneaking through the ground floor lobby, Asami holding her skirt around her with her fingers and Korra was a few steps ahead of her, to warn her if she saw anyone. They slipped out the front and hurried to the car and Asami carefully took her seat. Korra shut the door for her, then ran around to hop in. Asami checked her watch, again.

"We got a little over ten minutes." Asami said, worriedly.

"We only need to get to those docks to the south of the island. Like I said." Korra gave her an assuring smirk. "I can get us across from there, like last time, if you don't mind a little wind."

"Okay." Asami agreed with a sigh, preparing herself. She started up the car and revved the engine, glancing at Korra's seatbelt, then to her, and the latter strapped herself in immediately. They did not have as much distance to cover as they would have if they had taken their usual route through Kyoshi Bridge. Still, they needed to be fast. Asami honked the horn to let the next shift at the gate know they could spare themselves a new gate if they opened the one they had, immediately. The huge buildings of different industrial complexes flew past them as they rapidly approached the docks. They were nearly there when they saw police lights flash behind them and heard the sound of a police siren go off briefly. Asami slowed the car and they looked to see a police car come up behind them. Having no other choice but to obey the law, unless they wanted to get involved in another chase, with them as the pursuit target, they pulled to the side and sat anxiously, waiting for one of the officers to walk over to them. A younger male officer, seemingly in his late twenties, stopped next to them, on the driver side and attempted to ask for Asami's identification and license, and perhaps he was ready to ask the usual smug question about why they pulled them over. But, whatever he planned to say was lost, along with his professionalism as he simply stared with his mouth hung open. His partner, a woman of almost the same age, or more like his senior, came over when she saw that he froze for some reason.

"Hey! What's wrong?" she asked, then followed his eyes and went red, as they both looked down into Asami Sato's lap. The latter only noticed then that her skirt fell to the side, probably from the wind or the movement of her legs over the pedals. And she reddened herself, along with Korra and promptly covered herself with the torn skirt. They remained silent for a few seconds, before the female officer regained her composure enough to form a coherent sentence, after pushing past the added shock of recognizing the two women. "Uh…carry on. Slowly. Please. Miss Sato. Avatar Korra." she mumbled between stops. "Have a nice evening!" she told them, nervously and she hastily dragged her partner away by his collar, marching back to their service vehicle. The pair stared in front of them, then slowly exchanged looks. They heard two doors being slammed shut and heard them slowly drive away.

They stared at each other embarrassedly, before they both remembered that they were in hurry.

"Drive! Drive!" Korra exclaimed repeatedly as she shook Asami.

"Okay! I am!" Asami told her as Korra was still shaking her, when the car was already rolling. "There's the end of the pier!" Asami exclaimed. "Have to find a spot where the car won't be in the way." she added.

"There, maybe?" Korra asked pointing between a building and a moving crane on rails.

"It would be in the way for the crane." Asami observed.

"Over there, then." Asami followed Korra's gesturing and decided on a spot that was on the corner of a warehouse, relatively far away from containers and cranes.

"This'll have to do for now." Asami commented as she parked. She locked the glove compartment and the doors, before pulling up the retractible roof.

"I guess it makes sense it has something like that for a rainy day." Korra said, watching with intrigue as Asami finished securing it, as she comically followed her around the car, while holding her skirt in place in case of any prying eyes that were not her own.

"Alright. I'm ready!" Asami exclaimed, referring both to the locked down car and that she was prepared to be taken across the bay by Korra. The latter understood her and decided on an air-scooter, rather than a wheel. Dockworkers on their afternoon shift looked up from their tasks to stare dumbly at two women on a ball of air riding across the bay, making waves as they cut the water. Some of them, those of the older generation, were less impressed. For them it was just another day in Republic City. Another fad. Something that would become an every day occurence and people would eventually get used to seeing. Like spirits and their wilds.

Asami was clutching her skirt in her hand, while she had her arms wrapped around Korra. They made it across the bay faster than before, rode up the side of the island, climbing the rocks, until they touched ground and were at the dormatories, already. Naga perked up, lying in front of the entrance and barked excitedly, tilting her head in confusion at the way they were sneaking.

"Naga! Sssh! It's okay, girl." Korra went to calm her with a good scratching and nodded to Asami, who had her skirt wrapped around her waist, again and held it in place as she ran upstairs to find another one to wear. Neither of them saw anyone. Not outside or inside the dorms. Everyone was already in the dining hall. Asami came out of the building, wearing a dark red skirt and smiled at the scene. Korra looked up from her position, having subdued Naga, scratching her into submission as she was lying on her back with Korra's hands on her belly.

"Shall we?" Asami asked and Korra nodded, ruffling Naga's head as she stood.

"Come on, girl!" Korra exclaimed, calling her to follow them.

"We made it with a few minutes to spare." Asami commented, looking at her watch.

"Uh...you think Lin will hear about what happened?" Korra asked, a little nervously.

"Police officers gossip, too. So..." Asami shrugged. "I'm just worried about how much their story will change, before it gets to the Chief."

"I guess we'll know when Lin shows up and starts yelling." Korra commented. Not looking forward to that meeting.

"Or she'll give Tenzin an earful over the phone." Asami thought. Feeling sorry for the person who will take that call.

They approached the dining hall and Korra led Naga to the back, where the kitchen staff would give her the leftovers. She entered through the kitchen with Asami and both washed their hands, before crossing over to the dining area, where all the tables were occupied. A spot was left just for the two of them, across from Tenzin, Pema and Rohan. Kya, Tonraq and Bumi were sitting on the side, across from the kids, except Meelo.

"You made it!" Pema exclaimed as the pair walked in.

"Just barely." Asami commented.

"We would've made it back sooner, but um..." Korra trailed off, glancing at Asami.

"I had a lot of paperwork." Asami explained.

"Paperwork, huh? Is that what they call it now?" Kya teased them and the pair blushed as their explanation was only half of the truth.

"Well, she had paperwork, too!" Korra folded her arms. She realized her slip and looked at Asami, who cover her deep blush and an embarrassed smile. Kya, Jinora and Ikki were ready to burst and Pema stifled a laugh. Rohan looked confused. Kai shifted uncomfortably, while Bumi ribbed a slightly uncomfortable Tonraq and Tenzin cleared his throat.

"I did it, again, didn't I?" Korra groaned and blushed lightly.

"You never fail." Kya said, laughter in her voice. Thoroughly enjoying it every time Korra did it.

"How was your first day back at work?" Pema asked Asami, as they started dinner.

"I forgot how exhausting it can be." Asami answered. "I've sent a request to the department where they made the glider-suits. They will work on a few improvements." she added, looking at Tenzin.

"Thank you! It was certainly timely." Tenzin said in surprise.

"It was the easiest one to do out of it all. I wrote a letter detailing some specifics and added a few things to the blueprints. And I sent it in a package through my secretary. They will work out the rest." she explained.

"Wait! When did you do all that?" Korra asked in confusion.

"While you were snoring adorably." Asami answered her with a smile and Korra looked a little embarrassed.

"Hard worker." Jinora said sarcastically and Korra stuck her tongue out, then turned to everyone.

"So, when did the party end?"

"I wouldn't say it ended." Jinora anwered her.

"I was all danced out and so were most of the kids, but Su and her husband took to the dance floor and were still at it when we left around four or something." Kya said. "We panicked when we couldn't find Meelo." she added.

"I think he was passed out under the table with Poki, the last time I saw him." Korra said, laughing.

"And that's where we found 'em both." Pema said.

"He ate too much, again, I'm afraid." Tenzin sighed.

"Not that I'm much better." Korra commented, taking a largen bite.

"At least you don't fart at inappropriate moments." Ikki said, making a face.

"Or mention it at inappropriate moments." Jinora elbowed her.

"I swear he's gonna turn it into a whole new air-bending form." Kai commented.

"And get his tattoos for it." Korra added, giving Tenzin a sympathetic smile.

"It will be a proud moment." he paled slightly.

Dinner went on with more future predictions, none of them nearly as disconcerting as Master Meelo. The teasing and laughter continued, with warm smiles and flustered faces. The whole dining hall was abuzz with cheerful murmuring and one could appreciate the sounds coming from inside, as they combined with the music of the crickets outside. A truly idyllic moment. The first one in a long time, as far as many of them were concerned. Until the next morning, they could forget about work and the tasks ahead of them. And even that did not cause distress. There was no worry about what was yet to come. Just looking forward. Without fear or feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders, for once.

**Author's Note**: I'll never understand why some people can only have fun if they drink themselves under the table and don't even remember what happened. I loathe alcohol. So, I'll try to write certain characters so they know where to draw a limit. I think I'll have the pair beat up some drunken fools, just for the hell of it. Here and there. That gives me a warm feeling.

A rewatched certain scenes from the first 3 books, to get an idea which building was what on the island, and used a picture of the whole island as a reference to establish where they were. It might not be entirely accurate. Annoying.

I figure given all her resources that Asami would go slightly overboard with the security.


End file.
